Stories

Jill was first introduced to WY-FI as she was preparing to leave prison. Lead Navigator Mel started helping Jill from day one. Mel helped Jill find the confidence to start going to her appointments and Jill is now in recovery and no longer engages in criminal activity. Read more.

“Other services didn’t understand me – I felt like I was being judged. WY-FI is different.” Jill.

Niomi was referred to WY-FI following her release from prison. When Lead Navigator Debbie met her, Niomi was abusing alcohol and prescribed medication. With WYFI’s support Niomi is re-building her relationships with services and is in stable accomodation. Read more.

“WY-FI helped change my life. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me…” Niomi

Karl’s story shows a complete transformation. Because Karl accessed the right support through WY-FI he was able to address his substance misuse, mental ill health, homelessness and offending and is now back in regular contact with his son. Read more

“Change is possible, no matter where you’ve been what you’ve done or who you are, change is always possible with the right support.” Karl

Diane

History: Diane had been evicted from her property, she was drinking, had depression and was often abusive towards various hostel staff.

At referral stage Diane had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: WY-FI quickly put things in place to support Diane and enabled her to access an operation to fix her hip which had been causing her trouble for over 10 years.

Impact of a service flex: WY-FI were able to influence a decision to allow Probation to carry out home visits as Diane had difficulty leaving her property due to mobility issues.

Melissa

Melissa’s story shows the importance of a person-centred approach in aiding recovery. Melissa’s story also focuses on how becoming involved in activities and hobbies helped her boost her confidence. Read more

“WY-FI hasn’t let me down like other services. The support came along at the right time for me.” Melissa

Jeremy

History: Jeremy was refused cardiology treatment due to his alcohol addiction. He also had difficulties attending appointments as a result of poor memory which was brought on by his alcohol use.
At referral stage Jeremy had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: With Navigator support Jeremy reduced his alcohol consumption and was able to attend 3 cardiology appointments which led to successful heart surgery.

Impact of WY-FI work: The work of WY-FI enabled Jeremy to engage with health services which resulted in him having much needed heart surgery. Following Jeremy’s successful operation he has started to rebuild relationships with family.

Maya

History: Maya suffered from homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health and was involved in crime. Maya also found it difficult to accept help due to her cultural upbringing.

At referral stage Maya had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: WY-FI worked to gain trust and understand Maya’s faith. WY-FI were then able to help Maya engage with services such as probation and Forward Leeds as well as supporting her through various benefit claims. WY-FI also worked with Maya to reduce her offending.

Impact of persistence: Initially Maya found it hard to leave the chaotic lifestyle behind but with persistence from the Navigator Maya began engaging with support services. Since WY-FI’s involvement Maya’s lifestyle has become more stable and this has allowed Maya to re-establish relationships with her family.

Sheila

History: Sheila was in temporary accommodation and suffered from mental ill health and alcohol addiction.

At referral stage Sheila had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: As Sheila was not ready to address her alcohol issues the Navigator worked closely with the dual diagnosis team and achieved flex to enable Sheila to access fast-track help for her mental ill health.

Impact of dual diagnosis flex: Without the flex of the dual diagnosis team Sheila would have had to register at a recovery drop in, await allocation of a worker and then be referred to the dual diagnosis team.

Paul

History: Between 2009-2014 Paul received 92 antisocial behaviour orders and a 12 week period of imprisonment. Paul also had long standing issues with street homelessness and alcohol addictions.

At referral stage Paul had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator worked carefully with Paul to develop a trusting relationship and encourage positive engagement with services.

Impact of Navigator work: Paul had been known to housing services for 10 years but with WY-FI’s involvement in helping to reshape behaviour Paul finally secured his own property. In the last 9 months Paul has only been arrested once which is a huge improvement on his offending history. Paul is also back with a mainstream GP after completing his script.

“When I first started with WYFI, I was living in a hostel in Bradford where drug use was rife, myself included. I was barred from all drug services and had to have police attend my appointments with me….” Read more

Christian

History: Christian had been released from prison and was in temporary housing when he was first referred into WY-FI.

At referral stage Christian had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator worked with Christian and the housing provider to ensure Christian met his obligations while staying in temporary housing and this lead to a permanent tenancy. The Navigator accessed the Personalisation Fund to purchase essential items for Christian’s new home.

Impact of Personalisation Fund: The Personalisation Fund was used to purchase a cooker and fridge which allowed Christian to cook his own healthier meals, instead of him buying takeaways. The Fund was also used to purchase a washing machine which enabled Christian to be able to wash his own clothes and be more independent. Read more about WY-FI’s Personalisation Fund.

Daniel’s story shows how crucial it is to take the time to build a solid and trusting relationship with a beneficiary and how getting to know their interests and hobbies can be one of the keys to success. Read more

“I was in a really dark place and terrified. The support I’ve received from Jamie and James has been phenomenal. The WY-FI Project has given me my life back.” Daniel

Brian

History: Brian was previously known to WY-FI and had a history of mental ill health and addictions. When Brian re-engaged with WY-FI he was clean but homeless and suffering from illnesses related to previous drug use.

At referral stage Brian had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator helped Brian to access appropriate accommodation to support his mental health issues and a sum was awarded from the Personalisation Fund to fund initial accommodation while ongoing funding for the accommodation was provided by Adult and Social Care.

Impact of Personalisation Fund: Brian is now in long term accommodation, suitable for his needs and has options for the first time in his life. Without the personalisation fund there would have been a delay in accessing appropriate accommodation. Read more about WY-FI’s Personalisation Fund.

Stephanie’s story shows just how easy it can be to slide into a life of chaos. She started drinking to ease the pain of the sudden death of her Mum. Her story also raises the question about whether her addiction, homelessness and her conviction for drink driving could have been avoided if she had received bereavement support at the time. Read more

“What happened to me could happen to anyone. But if I can find a way out of the trap, so can you.” Stephanie

Jordan

History: Jordan was released from prison and in poor health. He had a difficult relationship with his GP and struggled to make himself understood.

At referral stage Jordan had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator liaised with Jordan’s GP on his behalf.

Impact of WY-FI work: Jordan’s health has since improved as he is now on the correct medication and has been provided with dressings.

Kate

History: Kate had a history of sex work, crack and heroin addictions and depression. When Kate was referred to WY-FI she was living in a bedsit which was in a poor state of disrepair.

At referral stage Kate had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator helped Kate to access a supported tenancy with wrap around support for domestic violence.

Impact of WY-FI work: With WY-FI’s support Kate is now able to budget effectively and no longer sex works.

Graeme

History: Graeme had just been released from prison when he was first referred into WY-FI and required high level, immediate support.

At referral stage Graeme had the following needs:Support from WY-FI: The Navigator worked with Graeme to secure a tenancy and furnish the flat. As the relationship developed the Navigator was able to find out about Graeme’s interests and accessed the Personalisation Fund to purchase gym equipment for Graeme to use at home.

Impact of Personalisation Fund: Due to Graeme’s anxieties he was unable to go to the gym, so being able to use the Personalisation Fund to purchase gym equipment to use at home allowed him to build up confidence. The Personalisation Fund also enabled Graeme to make his flat into a home with the purchase of paint and carpets. Read more about WY-FI’s Personalisation Fund.